A while back and for several years I broke and trained Standardbreds for an owner that raced both the flats and the jugheads.

We sometimes talked about the difference in the two breeds.As he put it "My pacers with you go more in a week then my runners go in a month."

Then he asked. "If I buy a couple Thoroughbred yearlings, will you break them to ride, but also break them to the jog cart. Train them the same amount of work you would give a pacing colt."I told him "I would take them to the farm and break them both ways,and train them right along on the cart with the pacers, but he would need someone else to race them."He says "Sounds good lets do it."

A couple weeks later he calls. "We got to scrape the ideal as none of my running trainers will take the horses. They say they will be broke down, and they don't want anything to do with them".

I sure would have liked to give it a try.

Has anyone ever trained a runner on a jog cart and given them the miles we do, or heard of anyone that has?

I did this with a filly while in Italy on a private 5/8 sand track. Owner really never stated what the objective was-just train in cart. Got tired of a stranglehold grip every day, as I had nothing but young trotters. No company for her, and no gate to break from.....waste of time imo. however I can assume that she got legged/winded up a bit. She was in the wrong outfit......

I asked this same question to several harness trainers I know out here they all told me they did train them to the cart and broke them this way but none of them did any good at the track. Not a one.

Do you remember Rex Elsworth?If you dont do you remember a Tbred named Swaps?(Now I hope that name cut loose some cob webs.)He broke all his Tbred babys to drive. Not a cart but in front of another horse and rider.Now we have an outrider out here in California at Calexpo named Billy Don Waynescott. (not sure spelling is correct)Billy Don and myself have had many conversations on this subject and he has agreed to start a Tbred I have using this method the same as Rex Elsworth. Billy Don knows exactly how I want the horse started and uses this method to start Tbreds. I will keep you posted how this goes. I dont want the horse jogged on this track at Calexpo it is much to hard the surface I want a handle put on the horse and exposed to many things around him only for his emotional well being.The Standard Breds here at Calexpo jogging on this pathetic surface are sure to be in deep trouble if they can last till spring which I doubt most of them can. I can hear their hooves rattle a block away. Not my idea of anything good for any type breed.

Now Swoop Daddy knows alot about this subject so you may trying Pm him.

We train alot of our SB's freelegged on the gallop - works the muscles that aren't used while on their race gait and builds up their air. The flip flop opposite of the above, but shows that training and conditioning methods between the breeds can be shared.

We train alot of our SB's freelegged on the gallop - works the muscles that aren't used while on their race gait and builds up their air. The flip flop opposite of the above, but shows that training and conditioning methods between the breeds can be shared.

Jerry Mohr use to train the good pacer Be Jewelled ($300,000+) on the dead gallop. He trained on a small farm track, and on the pace he would hit his knees hard enough to do real damage. On the all out dead gallop he went clean and stayed sound.